v4 Authentication Solution

Status: Working
Date: 2025-08-03

Problem

Supabase Auth service was failing due to schema incompatibilities:

• GoTrue expects columns like instance_id, email_change_token, etc.
• Our simplified schema didn't have these columns
• Auth service kept restarting with migration errors

Solution

Created a test authentication system for v4 development:

1. Test Login Endpoint

Location: /api/auth/test-login

Features:

• Accepts any email/password combination
• Creates user if doesn't exist
• Returns session token
• Stores user in auth.users table

2. Login Page

Location: /login

Features:

• Simple form interface
• Stores session in localStorage
• Redirects to dashboard on success
• Clear indication of test mode

How to Use

Via API:

curl -X POST http://localhost:3002/api/auth/test-login \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"email":"test@example.com","password":"any"}'

Via Browser:

1. Navigate to http://localhost:3002/login
2. Enter any email and password
3. Click Login
4. You'll be redirected to the dashboard

Test User Created

-- User successfully created in database:
id: f855a22c-beed-4ed5-a14c-e7cabd2187f3
email: test@nudgecampaign.com

Why This Approach?

1. Focus on Features: v4 is about demonstrating working features (campaigns, emails, analytics), not auth infrastructure
2. Quick Development: Bypass complex Supabase Auth setup issues
3. Still Real: Users are created in the database, sessions are tracked
4. Easy Testing: Any email/password works, making testing faster

Production Considerations

For production, you would:

1. Fix Supabase Auth schema properly
2. Use bcrypt for password hashing
3. Implement JWT tokens properly
4. Use httpOnly cookies for sessions
5. Add proper session validation

Summary

The test login system allows v4 to demonstrate its core features without being blocked by auth infrastructure issues. This aligns with the v4 principle: "Focus on features that WORK, not perfect infrastructure."